I once worked with a woman who, on being told she needed to lose weight and cut her sodium intake, went out and bought "diet" everything ... and was then appalled to discover that the canned and frozen prepared foods she'd bought were loaded with sodium.

I have to stop reading this nutrition thing-- I just realized that fried rice is healthy and brown rice is not? I do not understand.

Not nutritious: A history of cakes in the US.

I just realized that fried rice is healthy and brown rice is not? I do not understand.

That seems... counter-intuitive.

Is it overkill to quote Michael Pollan at this point? "Eat food: mostly plants. Not too much."

I get regular reinforcement of my diet-and-exercise regimen by reading health blogs, especially the ones about Alzheimer's. There are some pretty clear correlations between exercise and retaining one's mental acuity, even quite late in life. Which, I suspect, means that at 82 I'll be doing three miles on a holographic treadmill while watching reruns of the inevitable Farscape remake, in which none of the characters are played by human actors...

Which, I suspect, means that at 82 I'll be doing three miles on a holographic treadmill while watching reruns of the inevitable Farscape remake, in which none of the characters are played by human actors...

That would be pretty cool, though.

It's always seemed pretty obvious to me that aside from just exercise, being involved in anything really contributes to your health and longevity. My parents have a friend who was still driving into her late 80s, and singing in the church choir, and volunteering, and she was amazingly healthy until just about a year ago.

Whereas my FiL barely ever gets out of his chair, doesn't go out of the house except for trips to the grocery store, the bank, or the doctor's office, and is declining every day.

Whereas my FiL barely ever gets out of his chair, doesn't go out of the house except for trips to the grocery store, the bank, or the doctor's office, and is declining every day.

Add four herniated disks, crippling social anxiety, and moderately-advanced dementia, and that's my mother.

My mother's trying to balance a white blood cell count so low she can't have chemo with getting out and staying involved. I sense there is tension brewing at the ! household. My father's definitely pro-house arrest, and my mother wants to go out and teach, just not get near any students.

That's so hard, Consuela. My FiL is just terminally cranky and doesn't really like other human beings.

He will *putter* occasionally when the weather's nice, walking around the yard pulling a weed or two, or taking a paintbrush to the house for touch-ups, but that's it. In all the years we lived up there, he went to *two* of the boys' baseball games, and one dance recital of Sara's. Never wanted to do the Grandparents Luncheon at school or anything. It's sad.

my mother wants to go out and teach, just not get near any students.

I think she should, as long as she's careful and using anti-bac soap, and resting a little extra in between.

My healthy diet is: eat anything I like in moderation. Put raw spinach into a lot of dishes. Drink lots of decaf tea with shittons with lemon juice. 2 cups of coffee a day with whole milk. Go crazy with fruit and veg in the summer.

And um, I fit into a pair of size 10 jeans yesterday. Gave me cameltoe, but the waist was loose. I have been struggling to lose weight for...my whole life, and to have it just fall off without trying is seriously insanovision to me. So I guess I have to add: have a hysterectomy and quit doing work that stresses you out.

OK, I have to admit: I got curious, and just took my meaurements. I am OFFICIALLY a perfect hourglass now -- 41-31-41. I've gone down a cup size to 38D, but I can live with that.

Sorry for the overshare, but after 25 years of trying to lose weight and feeling like shit because I was fat (my highest weight was 215) this is just...awesome. I won't lie.